TOPIC FOR RESEARCH PAPER FOR 2015 CANDIDATES

Who gets to vote in the United States? More than 1/6th of all of the amendments to the Constitution - and almost 30% of the amendments adopted after the Bill of Rights - seek to prohibit situations in which the right to vote had been denied or abridged.

Those amendments removed impediments to voting for former slaves, women, people who had to pay a poll tax, and adults aged 18 or older. However, other impediments may exist. Discuss each of the following and whether it constitutes the denial or abridgement of the right to vote:

The fact that citizens of Washington, D.C., may not vote for a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate;

The denial of the right to vote to some or all citizens of a state if the citizens have been convicted of a felony; and

The requirement for a voter registration card if the voter must designate a mailing address at which to receive the card because homeless individuals may not have a mailing address.

The research paper must include footnotes, references to sources and a bibliography page. A checklist of requirements will be provided to all applicants.